Piggery protest heats up

Animal activists have bought into a debate over plans for a 5,000-head piggery near Swan Hill.

Swan Hill rural city councillors will tonight receive a petition containing more than 1,300 signatures which opposes the project on environmental groups, particularly concerns about odour.

But Pam Ahern from the animal welfare group, Voiceless, this morning paraded her pet piglet Faith along Swan Hill's main street in protest at the plans.

She says the welfare of the piggery's animals have been forgotten in the debate.

"We sort of have a romantic view of [Old] McDonald's farm with pigs roaming freely in the paddock, wallowing in the mud and feeling the sunshine and fresh air, but the reality of the majority of pigs farmed in Australia is far different - it's in sheds where they never get to see the sunlight or feel the soil," she said.